1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with therapy apparel for children diagnosed with sensory integration dysfunction and/or impaired motor development. The apparel is designed to be worn during the course of a therapy session, and has been found to yield many benefits to children under such treatment. The preferred therapy apparel includes a top worn over the shoulders and trunk of a child with a series of flexible, stretchable elastic straps designed for selective placement around the child""s feet and knees during different therapy exercises, and for grasping and lateral extension by the child. The top is adorned with fanciful theme decorations thereon to arouse the child""s interest and fulfill play needs. The overall apparel further includes a cape and specialized, close-fitting headgear, which again are appropriately theme-decorated. The headgear is designed to permit the child to attach various fanciful accouterments to excite the child and enhance motor skill development.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sensory integrative dysfunction is a developmental disorder defined by deficits in the central processing of proprioceptive, tactile, and vestibular sensory inputs that are not attributable to either peripheral or cortical central nervous system dysfunction. The proprioceptive sense refers to components of muscles, joints, and tendons that provide a person with a subconscious awareness of body position and movement. Children with sensory integration dysfunction may have difficulty maintaining balance in relation to environmental demands and have difficulty with tasks that require opposing muscle groups to work in a coordinated fashion, such as wringing out a wash cloth or pouring milk from a heavy container. The tactile sense interprets applied stimuli such as touch, pressure, pain, and temperature, through tactile receptors found throughout the skin. Some children are overly sensitive to touch, particularly light touch and have a tendency to react negatively and with extreme emotion to some tactile sensations. On the other hand, some children crave tactile input, touching and seeking out input. The vestibular sense is responsible for awareness of body position and movement in space, postural tone and equilibrium, and stabilization of the eyes in space during head movements. The vestibular receptors are located in the inner ear and are stimulated by movement of the head and by gravity. Children with sensory integration dysfunction may have balance difficulties and cannot tolerate or interpret movement, while others seem to crave movement opportunities.
Sensory integration theory postulates that intervention through therapy provides enhanced sensory experience within the context of a meaningful, self-directed activity in order to elicit an adaptive behavior. The result is enhanced sensory integration and, in turn, enhanced learning.
One method of proprioceptive and tactile sensory stimulation is deep pressure or deep touch pressure. Deep touch pressure is the type of surface pressure that is exerted in most types of firm touching, holding, and stroking. One investigator observed this need for deep pressure from a girl with autism as she would hug her mother with strong, firm hugs. Her mother indicated that her child favored clothing that covered her limbs and was made from cotton knit fabric. Her mother would often dress the child in a jumper or skirt over cotton knit, flowered longjohns. The need to cover the limbs with fabric that hugs the body is characteristic of the child who needs continuous tactile input. In contrast, a four-year-old male with autism was observed who did not like clothing. He would remove his shirt, socks, and shoes, and pull his pant legs up as far as possible. These are characteristic of tactile defensiveness.
Weighted vests, weighted collars, weighted arms and leg bands, lap and shoulder weights, and weighted quilts are available for treating deep pressure needs. One investigator conducted a pilot study applying weighted vests with two samples, children with autism and children without autism. The non-autistic children reported that wearing the vest made them feel sleepy, but showed no appreciable change in pulse or blood pressure; whereas, the children with autism had measurable drops in both pulse rate and blood pressure reading. While the wearing of weighted vests are increasing in elementary schools and therapy treatment programs, the outcomes of wearing weighted vests are largely anecdotal and few parameters exist to guide the use of the vests.
Gloves and pressure vests have been shown to reduce self-stimulatory behaviors of a young girl with autism. Similarly, self-injurious and self-stimulating behaviors of a boy with autism were reduced while wearing arm splints and elastic bandages. A calming effect provided by the direct pressure has been reported.
An adult with autism has reported that deep pressure applied to her body provides a calming effect. A squeeze machine was designed to provide great amounts of pressure over her body. The squeeze machine""s pressure also had a relaxing effect on adults without disability. Use of the squeeze machine also led to a reduction in hyperactivity in four of nine children.
The foregoing indicates that deep pressure and tactile input is calming for children with sensory impairments and that apparel and textile products may be used as therapeutic aids.
While the foregoing expedients have been used in the past in an attempt to provide appropriate therapy for children diagnosed with sensory integration dysfunction, the prior apparel and the like has not fulfilled the play and imaginative needs of small children; moreover, the prior therapy garments do not generally provide the full range of desirable therapy inputs for the treatment of sensory integration dysfunctions.
The present invention overcomes the problems outlined above and provides therapy apparel for small children diagnosed with sensory integration dysfunction and impaired motor development. Broadly speaking, the therapy apparel includes a flexible top adapted to be worn over the shoulders and trunk of a child requiring therapy, with the top having upper shoulder sections and a neck opening therebetween, and front and rear panels depending from the shoulder sections and presenting lower margins. The top includes a pair of flexible, stretchable first straps extending below the panel lower margins with each first strap being of a length for selective coupling with a respective one of the child""s feet while the child is standing. In this orientation, the first straps cause the top and straps to be pulled downwardly to provide deep pressure therapy input. Preferably, each of the first straps is in the form of a continuous loop passing adjacent a shoulder section of the top and with the lower end of each loop adapted for passing under a respective foot of the child; in this way, upwardly directed forces are generated to give upward pressure and proprioceptive input.
In further preferred forms, the top has a pair of flexible, stretchable second straps likewise extending below the lower margin of the top with each second strap being of a length for selective coupling with a respective one of the child""s knees when the child is in a tall kneeling position; these second straps are also configured to cause the top strap to be pulled downwardly in this orientation. The second straps are likewise in the form of continuos loops which pass adjacent a shoulder section and with the lower end of the loops adapted for coupling with the child""s knees, to generated upwardly forces. Finally, the top also includes a third pair of flexible, stretchable, loop-type lateral straps each selectively extensible in opposed lateral directions beyond the side sections of the top and grasped by the child. These lateral straps when extended cause the top to be pulled in corresponding lateral directions, creating resistance against the child""s hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder joints and coordinating muscles.
The front and rear panels of the top are preferably provided with fanciful theme decorations thereon, such as insects (e.g. beetles), aquatic animals with fins, scales and eyes, animals having horns, ears, noses, eyes and tails, royalty with crowns, and wands, workers such as firemen, policemen, mail carriers, construction workers and cowboys, and shapes, colors and textures of various types (squares, circles, triangles, ovals and the like). Furthermore, in order to provide a further measure of deep pressure input, the front and back panels of the top are provided with pockets which receive weights of various sizes.
The preferred apparel also includes a cape to be worn over the top with the cape having a neckpiece and a pair of opposed, outwardly extending wing sections, the latter each having a handhold. The outer surface of the cape is equipped with differently manipulable objects which can be grasped and used by the child, in order to provide fine motor development. The outer surface of the cape is also preferably decorated in a manner corresponding to the decorations provided on the apparel top
Finally, the therapy apparel includes headgear which is stretchable and equipped with a chin strap so that the headgear may be drawn tightly around the child""s head. The headgear further has a plurality of different, fanciful accouterments each attachable to the exterior surface of the headgear at the discretion of the child. For this purpose, a headgear preferably has a central panel and opposed side panels, with stretchable fabric interconnecting the panels; the outer surface of the panels, and the corresponding ends of the accouterments, have mating hook and loop Velcro(copyright) fabric sections.
The therapy apparel of the invention allows full body movement by the child to facilitate participation in all occupational activities and use of occupational/physical therapy equipment. Moreover, the apparel provides opportunities for active proprioceptive input, allows for passive and deep pressure proprioceptive input, promotes use of equipment to provide vestibular input and generates desirable tactile input. Use of the therapy apparel promotes gross, fine and perceptual motor skills along with motor planning up to three stages, and enhances transitions without behavior resistance from the child between activities, thus aiding in the wearer""s self-organization and attention to task. Finally, the apparel meets the play needs of the child, with structures and forms revolving around play themes favored by children.